Toilet improvements

ABSTRACT

A toilet that has an improved vacuum breaker assembly wherein the vacuum breaker casing has integral hinge posts for the toilet cover. The improved vacuum breaker assembly is snap-fitted into place on the toilet housing and is secured in place against displacement in any direction.

United States Patent 1 Broek Aug. 20, 1974 [5 TOILET IMPROVEMENTS 3.038.170 6/1962 OBrien 4 79 1 Inventor: Christian vanden BM, Ann 23123; 341322 046," 1:: 1133 Arbor, Mlch' 3,369,260 2/1968 Sargent et al 4 79 Assignee The fnrd C pora i A rbo Sargent Mich.

- Primary ExaminerHenry K. Artis [22] 1972 Attorney, Agent, or FirmOlsen & Stephenson [21] Appl. N0.: 295,798

52 U.S. Cl. 4/1, 4/79 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl A47k 17/00 A toilet that has an improved vacuum breaker assem- Field of Search 76, bly wherein the vacuum breaker casing has integral hinge posts for the toilet cover. The improved vacuum 110, 210 breaker assembly is snap-fitted into place on the toilet housing and is secured in place against displacement [56] References Cited in any direction.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Cl 7 D F 3,038,169 6/1962 OBrien 4/79 TOILET IMPROVEMENTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to toilet improvements, and particularly to improvements in vacuum breakers and hinge post assemblies for toilets.

Toilets of the type disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,369,260, issued Feb. 20, I968 to Sargent et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,820, issued Aug. 31, I971 to Sargent et a1. require a vacuum breaker in the water inlet system through which water is supplied for flush purposes. Toilets of this character are becoming increasingly in demand in the recreational and transportation fields as well as in home constructions where normal sewage systems are absent. Accordingly, there is a need for improvements which will simplify and reduce costs in the manufacture of such items.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION .The present invention has overcome certain inadequacies of the prior art, and has provided a toilet with an improved vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly. The assembly is constructed and arranged so that it can be installed in the housing of the toilet in a most simple and effective manner and so that waste of flush water is minimized.

According to one form of the present invention, a toilet is provided that has a water inlet system for flush purposes, a housing enclosing the toilet bowl and water inlet system and providing a pivotally mounted cover, the improvement comprising an integral vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly mounted on said housing. The assembly provides hinge posts on which the cover is hingedly connected, and the vacuum breaker is in series with the water inletsystern. In this form of the invention, the housing and assembly are interlocked together by a snap-fit connection to facilitate installation of the assembly. The snap-fit connection comprises a pair of lugs integrally formed on the undersurface of the top wall of the housing, the top wall having openings adjacent to each of the lugs through which the hinge posts project upwardly. The lower portions of the hinge posts have resilient hooks extending into engagement with the lugs to lock the housing and assembly together. The hinge posts and top wall in cooperation with the lugs and hooks have abutting wall surfaces preventing displacement in any direction of the hinge posts relative to the top wall. This construction and arrangement is such that the lugs and hooks are oriented with respect to the openings so that when mounting the assembly on the housing, the posts can initially be inserted upward through the holes and then advanced forward to a position in which the hooks snap over the lu s.

lhe vacuum breaker includes a casing having an inlet conduit connected to a flush water supply and an outlet conduit connected to the toilet bowl. The inlet conduit includes a check valve responsive to pressure of the water in the supply conduit to move to an open position to permit water to flow to sald outlet conduit and operable to close when the flow of water in the supply conduit is interrupted. The casing has a vent in communication with the outlet conduit to prevent the formation of a vacuum condition in said casing when the check valve is closed. The check valve is aligned with the vent so that when it is moved to an open position the check valve closes the vent. The casing also defines a recessed portion adjacent to the outlet conduit in which a fixed volume of water can be discharged to the toilet bowl after the check valve is closed.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly for use with toilets.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a fragmentary side elevational view of a toilet embodying the present invention, portions being shown in section to illustrate the mounting of the vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 3 showing details of the vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the toilet, with portions broken away to illustrate the vacuum breaker and binge post assembly;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section showing a sequence of steps in which the vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly are mounted in place on the top wall of the toilet housing;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the hinge posts and its mounting means;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the top wall of the housing of the toilet showing the location in which the hinge post of FIG. 5 will be mounted; and FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the hinge post of FIG. 5 in its assembled position in the top wall opening of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of the parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation.

Referring now to the drawings, the invention will be described in greater detail. The toilet 10 includes a housing 12 in which is located a toilet bowl 14 which has a ledge 16 over which flush water can flow, such as is disclosed in the aforesaid US. Pat. No. 3,601,820. The housing has a top wall I8 above which is pivotally mounted a cover 20. The housing 12 encloses the water inlet system 22 which supplies water to the how] 14 for flush purposes. Also mounted within the housing 12 and being a part of the water inlet system is the vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly 24.

The vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly 24 includes the vacuum breaker casing 26 which defines a Water inlet conduit 28 and a water outlet conduit 30. The water inlet conduit 28 is connected to a flush water supply conduit, and the outlet conduit 30 is connected to a discharge conduit 34 through which water can flow to the bowl 14 for flush purposes. The inlet conduit 28- has a check valve 36 positioned therein, as can be seen best in FIG. 2, and it is responsive to the pressure of water in the supply conduit 32 to move to an open position to permit water to flow to the outlet conduit 30 and operable to move to the closed position shown in FIG. 2 when the flow of water in the supply conduit is interrupted.

The casing 26 includes the cover 38 which is secured in place by means of a plurality of screws 40. The cover 38 has a vent opening 42 for the purpose of breaking a vacuum that may form in the casing 26 after the supply of water has been interrupted. Thus, water within the casing 26 and in the upper portions of the discharge conduit 34 may flow freely then by gravity to the bowl.

The check valve 36 is aligned with the vent 42 so that when the check valve 36 is moved to its open position it will close the vent 42, thereby preventing water from within the casing 26 to be discharged through the vent 42. The casing 26 also contains a recessed portion 44 adjacent to the outlet 30 for discharging a volume of water to the toilet bowl after the check valve 36 is closed, thereby permitting a small pool of water to remain in the bowl of the toilet after the flushing operation has been completed.

Formed as an integral part of the casing 26 are the hinge posts 46 and 48. These hinge posts are constructed the same, and therefore only the hinge post 46 will be described in detail. As can be seen in FIG. I, the hinge post 46 has a hinge pin 50 passing through it for pivotally mounting the cover 20. The lower portion of the hinge post 46 defines a resilient hook 52 including the barb 54 which is adapted to snap-fit over the lug 56 which is formed as an integral part of the top wall 18.

It will be observed that the lug 56 is formed on the undersurface of the top wall 18. The resilient hook 52 also includes the fiat disk 58 which is adapted to fit under the lug 56 when the hook 52 is in the interlocked position as shown in FIG. 1.

To accommodate the vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly, the top wall 18 has a pair of spaced openings, only one of which is shown at 60 through which the hinge post 46 projects upwardly. The other opening, not shown, serves to receive the hinge post 48. The shape of the opening 60 can be seen best in FIG. 6, and when mounting the vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly 24 in place the hinge post assembly will initially be positioned in the location shown in broken lines in FIG. 4 and identified by the letter A, and thereafter it will be moved upward to the position shown in broken lines at B, after which it will then be advanced forward to the solid line position illustrated in this figure. When this last step occurs, the barb 54 will snap over the lug 56 to the position illustrated in FIG. 7, thereby preventing retraction of the assembly 24. The vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly 24 will be mounted in a fixed position so that it can no longer be moved in any direction because of the abutting wall surfaces of the vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly 24 and the top wall 18. Thus, the barb 54 will prevent rearward movement by virtue of its abutment against the lug 56, the front wall of the hinge post 46 will abut against the forward wall of the opening 60 to prevent forward movement, and the laterally projecting wall portions 62 will seat on the top surface of the wall 18 so that the assembly cannot be lowered relative to the top wall 18. Likewise, the hook 52 has an edge portion which fits under the wall 18 on the opposite side from the wall portions 62 which will seat against the undcrsurface of the wall ing of the assembly with respect to the top wall 18.

Thus, it will be understood that a simple form of a combined vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly has been provided which can be snap-fitted into place in the top wall of the housing of the toilet. An effective vacuum breaker is provided which also assures that a limited amount of water can be discharged into the bowl after the flush operation has been completed. Further, hinge posts provided rigid pivotal supports for the toilet cover or a seat.

It is claimed:

1. In a toilet that has a water inlet system for flush purposes, a housing enclosing the toilet bowl and said water inlet system and providing a pivotally mounted cover, an improvement comprising an integral vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly mounted on said housing, said assembly providing hinge posts on which said cover is hingedly connected, and the vacuum breaker of said assembly being in series in said water inlet system.

2. The toilet that is defined in claim 1, wherein said housing and said assembly are interlocked together by a snap-fit connection.

3. The toilet that is defined in claim 2, wherein said snap-fit connection comprises a pair of lugs integrally formed on the undersurface of the top wall of said housing, said top wall having openings adjacent to each of said lugs through which said hinge posts project upwardly, and the lower portions of said hinge posts having resilient hooks extending into engagement with said lugs to interlock the housing and assembly.

4. The toilet that is defined in claim 3, wherein said hinge posts and said top wall in cooperation with said lugs and said hooks have abutting wall surfaces preventing displacement in any direction of said hinge posts relative to said top wall.

5. The toilet that is defined in claim 4, wherein said legs and hooks are oriented with respect to said openings so that when mounting said assembly on said housing the posts can initially be inserted upwardly through said holes and then advanced forward to a position in which said hooks snap over said lugs.

6. The toilet that is defined in claim 1, wherein said vacuum breaker includes a casing having an inlet conduit connected to a flush water supply conduit and an outlet conduit connected to a flush water discharge conduit, said inlet conduit including a check valve responsive to pressure of water in said supply conduit to move to an open position to permit water to flow to said outlet conduit and operable to close when the flow of water in said supply conduit is interrupted.

7. The toilet'that is defined in claim 6, wherein said casing has a vent in communication with said outlet conduit for preventing a vacuum condition in said casing when said check valve is closed.

8. The toilet that is defined in claim 7, wherein said check valve is aligned with said vent so that when moved to an open position the check valve closes said vent.

9. The toilet that is defined in claim 6, wherein said casing defines a recessed portion adjacent to said outlet conduit for a fixed volume of water to be discharged after said check valve is closed.

10. The toilet that is defined in claim 6, wherein said casing has a vent, said check valve being aligned with said vent so that when it is moved to its open position it will close said vent, and said casing has a recessed portion adjacent to said outlet for discharging a volume of water after said check valve is closed. 

1. In a toilet that has a water inlet system for flush purposes, a housing enclosing the toilet bowl and said water inlet system and providing a pivotally mounted cover, an improvement comprising an integral vacuum breaker and hinge post assembly mounted on said housing, said assembly providing hinge posts on which said cover is hingedly connected, and the vacuum breaker of said assembly being in serieS in said water inlet system.
 2. The toilet that is defined in claim 1, wherein said housing and said assembly are interlocked together by a snap-fit connection.
 3. The toilet that is defined in claim 2, wherein said snap-fit connection comprises a pair of lugs integrally formed on the undersurface of the top wall of said housing, said top wall having openings adjacent to each of said lugs through which said hinge posts project upwardly, and the lower portions of said hinge posts having resilient hooks extending into engagement with said lugs to interlock the housing and assembly.
 4. The toilet that is defined in claim 3, wherein said hinge posts and said top wall in cooperation with said lugs and said hooks have abutting wall surfaces preventing displacement in any direction of said hinge posts relative to said top wall.
 5. The toilet that is defined in claim 4, wherein said legs and hooks are oriented with respect to said openings so that when mounting said assembly on said housing the posts can initially be inserted upwardly through said holes and then advanced forward to a position in which said hooks snap over said lugs.
 6. The toilet that is defined in claim 1, wherein said vacuum breaker includes a casing having an inlet conduit connected to a flush water supply conduit and an outlet conduit connected to a flush water discharge conduit, said inlet conduit including a check valve responsive to pressure of water in said supply conduit to move to an open position to permit water to flow to said outlet conduit and operable to close when the flow of water in said supply conduit is interrupted.
 7. The toilet that is defined in claim 6, wherein said casing has a vent in communication with said outlet conduit for preventing a vacuum condition in said casing when said check valve is closed.
 8. The toilet that is defined in claim 7, wherein said check valve is aligned with said vent so that when moved to an open position the check valve closes said vent.
 9. The toilet that is defined in claim 6, wherein said casing defines a recessed portion adjacent to said outlet conduit for a fixed volume of water to be discharged after said check valve is closed.
 10. The toilet that is defined in claim 6, wherein said casing has a vent, said check valve being aligned with said vent so that when it is moved to its open position it will close said vent, and said casing has a recessed portion adjacent to said outlet for discharging a volume of water after said check valve is closed. 